Improvement in harvesters



, NITED STATES PATENT rrr.

W. H. SEYMOURv AND H. FEASE, OF BROOKPORT, NEW YORK, ASSIGNORS TO VSEYMOUR & MORGAN.

IMPROVEMENT IN HARVESTERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 15.72l, dated September 9, 1856.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, WILLIAM H. SEYMOUR and HENRY PEASE, Vboth of Brockport, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Harvesting-Machines; and we do hereby de elare the following to be a-full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part thereof, in which- Figure 1 represents the machine as arranged for reaping, the reel being omitted and the main driving and supporting wheel represented as detached from its journal or axle to show the parts behind it. Fig. 2 represents the same machine as arranged for mowing, the main driving and removable supporting wheels being in place, the former represented as partially broken away to show a portion ofthe machine that would otherwise be concealed by it.

Similar letters or marks ot' reference, where they occur in the separate figures, denote like parts in both.v

The nature of our invention consists in the manner in which we have constructed, combined, and arranged the machine to facilitate its conversion from a reaping to a mowing machine, and vice versa.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use our invention, we will proceed to describe thesame with reference to the drawings.

A represents the usual linger-bar of a harvesting-machine, and B a platform-beam, the extreme outer ends of said bar and' beam being connected by a tie, O, uponwhich the outside dividing-board, D, is arranged, as also the outside supporting-wheel. rIhe inner ends of the bar A and beam B are united by a bedplate, E, which may be entirely of metal, or of wood and metal combined.

Upon the bed-plateE may be cast or wrought, so as to be either permanent or removable, as found most desirable, enlarged or projecting pieces or blocks F F', with suitable holes a a, therein, so that the journal or axle G, on which the main driving and supporting wheel H is placed, can be adjusted or fitted to either one ofthe series of holes a, for the purpose of raising or lowering the machine on said wheel H.

,y I is a pinion, which receives motion from the main wheel H through its cogged gear J. This pinion is designed for operating a rake, when attached to the machine, and is alluded to in this application to show the necessity of a special arrangement of the holes a a, which are placed in the arc of acircle which has its center at the center of said pinion I, the object be ing to keep the main-wheel gear J in mesh with the pinion, when the pinion has a tixed position on the frame, for either operating the rake, reel, cutters, or any other moving part of the machine.

The heel of the tongue L passes between two may pass from the same point @underneath and be fastened to the finger-bar E. In Fig. l the wheel H or the axle G for its reception is shown as being placed centrally on the bedplate E, so that the machine is nearly balanced on said wheel. The tongue, heilig rigid, would sustain any tendency of the machine to drop at its front, and it thus cuts lat a uniform height above the ground; but when the machine is to be used for mowing the block F', if removable, as shown in Fig. l, is set back so that the screws which hold it to the bed-plate will take into the screw-holes ff on the rear of the hed-plate, and when the wheel His placed on the journal G in this position it will still gear with the pinion I; but, as before stated, instead of removing and replacing the block F', a duplicate of. it may be cast on the rear of the bed-plate, and the main wheel only need be moved. When the maehineis thus converted into a mowerand the supporting-wheel thrown back of the center or balancing point of the machine provision must be made to hold up the front of the machine and to remove from the horses7 necks the weight thus thrown forward. To provide for this change we arrange as follows: A supporting-wheel, M, Fig. 2, is placed on the front portion of the bed-plate, a screw-hole, g, Fig. l, being made there for the purpose, through which a screw-bolt, h, Fig. 2, passes through the bar A, bed-plate E, and

the axle-journal or prolongation of said axle or journal fi, on which the wheel M turns. Thus the machine is supported in front; but this alone would not relieve the horses necks from the undue weight of the machine forward, and to overcome this we draw the bolt c, which held the tongue rigid, and allow its rear end to play up and down in the guides b, and thus changing it from a stiff to a limber tongue. When the machine is again changed back to a reaper the wheel M is removed, the wheel H set forward, and the bolt c passed through the guides and rear ofthe tongue. A

There are many of the details of the machine which, being fully described in another application of ours, it is not deemed necessary here to further mention.

The drawings also represent many of the parts which are not specially referred to in the description, said description being confined more especially to the parts claimed as newin this application.

Having thus fully described thenature of our invention, what we claim therein as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

In combination with a main wheel, H, and removable wheel M, a frame capable of allowing of the shifting of the former and the removing or replacing of the latter when the machine is to be converted from a reaper to a mower, or vice versa, substantially as herein set forth. l

ln testimony whereof we have hereunto subscribed our names.

H. SEYMOUR. HENRY PEASE.

Witnesses:

GEO. H. ALLEN, J. M. BARNETT. 

